Thanksgiving and the hodgepodge that follows

First a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I came across a great quote by Chesterton a while back on the holiday and it follows:

 “In America they have a feast to celebrate the arrival of the pilgrams. Here in England we should have a feast to celebrate their departure” – GK Chesterton
 

Considering how the puritans thought celebrating Christmas was wrong and continued working on such feast

A protestant on Christmas

days…catch that Scroog was actually common, especially in America until Teddy Roosevelt (a crappy progressive imho) called for it to be a day of rest from work.  That protestant work ethic at it again…what a joke.  Some like Glenn Beck actually are disappointed that we don’t work on Thanksgiving, I am personally happy to have off, and if someone tried to make me work on a Christmas day I would have to consider whether such a person was worth working for to begin with.  I actually wish we had siestas like the historically Catholic countries but the protestant work ethic holds money and power at its head seeking more, and hoarding as quick as possible, how I wish I lived in a Catholic confessional state… BTW I wouldn’t mind finding myself before an inquisitional court.

Oh and before I go I just wanted to recommend, as Vatican II did the idea of nobel simplicity to you, perhaps less choices though, too much variety here, hes making the poor feel bad…

h/t Rorate otherwise they will whine about it

A note to the lukewarm

“All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics” – St. Pope Pius V

“All the strength of Satan’s reign is due to easygoing weakness of Catholics” – St. Pope Pius X

If he knocks how will you answer?

“Without this awareness of the before and after of which Paul speaks to us, our Christianity does not help anyone! More to this: it takes us on the road of hypocrisy. ‘I call myself a Christian, but live like a pagan!’ Sometimes we say ‘Christians at half-speed’, who do not take this seriously. We are holy, justified, sanctified by the blood of Christ: Take this sanctification and carry it forward! Though people do not take it seriously! Lukewarm Christians: ‘But, yes, yes , but, no, no’. Neither here nor there - as our mothers said, ‘rosewater Christians’ - no! A little touch here and there, of Christian paint, a little ‘paint catechesis’ - but inside there is no true conversion, there is no such conviction as that of St.Paul: ‘Everything I gave up and I consider garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.’” – Pope Francis

So too I also found a tremendous sermon by St. John Vianney here.

The point?

Get off your lazy butt and call others home to Christ! (obvious).  

Fr. Pablo Straub on Fatherhood and Manhood

Its hard to understate the role Father Straub had in my life.  I think its been a little over a month since he passed away, but his words still haunt me, in a good way.

There was one sermon he delivered that still sticks in my craw.  The focus of the homily is on manhood and fatherhood.  I would say more but it is better for you to hear him deliver it then me paraphrase.  So that your intellect may be brought closer to God I now give you my favorite sermon that I still listen to once a month for good measure:

http://airmaria.com/?sn=081011&vp=2104&prefx=hmly&plyrnb=1&ttl=Homily

The video doesn't work on blogger so just click the link

source

+Rev. Fr. Pablo Straub, 1932-2013+

Buckley the Catholic

The late, GREAT, William Buckley who founded National Review was also a fervent Catholic. 

On marriage and divorce: “I see the Church as echoing the word of the Lord on marriage.”

Source

On contraception: “My own incomplete understanding of the natural law balks at the central affirmation of Humanae Vitae, even as I’d of course counsel dutiful compliance with it.”

On fidelity in general: “Which side to observe? But the answer, for a Catholic, has got to be: the position taken by the Pope, as spokesman for the magisterium.”

On a special note, Mr. Buckley was also a traditionalist and even invited the late Michael Davies onto his Firing Line show to discuss Catholic orthodoxy with a USCCB representative priest from New York once.  Its available for purchase or rent here.  I think its $5 to buy and $1 to rent, it was good either way and shows how tense things were at the beginning of Blessed JPII’s pontificate

Source

+Pray for Journalists and Teachers alike+

How journalists make news

Like kissing your sister

few good things out of the game yesterday like:

source

 and Matt Flynn didnt look bad...not great either for that matter

its still like kissing your sister though

ewww....

Protesters of a Different Fold?

A lot of news has come out on the actions by some in the SSPX fold having disrupted a Jewish-Catholic get together, liturgy type of monstrosity that took place last week in the Popes former cathedral as a Cardinal. 

Now, this has been occurring since the current Holy Father took hold of the Buenos Aires Cathedral so this is not a new event.  The SSPX faithful entered the Cathedral and began yellingly (I know its not a word) praying the Rosary (if that’s possible).  The event has been condemned by the Jewish councils and Catholics alike even supposedly the Pope himself, although this is disputed.  Even the people over at Fisheaters were a little frustrated by the action taken in protest, though they really objected to the way the Rosary was prayed, not that confrontation occurred. 

As to my opinion on the matter I am just a little tired of the perceivable indifferentism that occurs in such “liturgies” or whatever you wish to call them.  I know the goal is to promote Catholic and Jewish relations and beg forgiveness for actions taken in the past by Christians against the Jewish people.  That’s all well and good, and where unjust persecution and  discrimination (notice I said unjust) takes place it should be corrected.  Yet when we invite Jews or Mohammadans or even heretical groups like Anglicans or Lutherans to participate in a “liturgical” gathering that mixes the Catholic faith with other non-Catholic rites or teachings we blur lines and create confusion that poisons the faith of so many, and always (I say this from experience, contradict me if you will) leads to indifferentism.

I personally agree that the event needed to be protested, but how do you go about doing so?  It is common to find in the Milwaukee area parishes (or more recently recasted as Faith Communities) “liturgies” involving protestants like Good Friday services where the Parish priest invites protestant leaders (I cant bring myself to call them pastors, the blind lead the blind) to speak.  Now don’t worry the tabernacles are usually off somewhere else, nowhere to be found of course.  But still they get up there and preach to a primarily Catholic audience seeking comfort on Good Friday. The result?  People in the pews believe it doesn’t matter where the message comes from, and therefore go wherever the message is more attractive.  Disagree?  That’s fine but back it up.

I do wish the SSPX parishioners would have remained outside the Cathedral and prayed the Rosary in a reverent manner befitting the Queenship of Our Lady.  Now I know they will reference Christ overturning the tables in the Temple, but please, as these people entered the Cathedral you could have been reciting the Rosary and made it clear the necessity of Jesus for those Jews coming to the event in banners or some other action. 

Just my thoughts… I could be wrong…most likely am…aww screw it!

Well that could have gone better!

+Pray for the Lukewarm+

The Narrators

In almost any book there are certain key characters, a setting that accounts for where the story takes place, a plot to the action inherent and if we are lucky a conclusion.  What is often assumed in any story, and therefore often forgone, is how the stories narrator plays a colossal role in how the story is perceived. 

The world is a giant tale with plots a plenty, and perspectives amassing since its very commencement.  We need not be so naive when viewing situations near and dear to us, most specifically with regards to the present pontificate.

To be sure, there are many things that the Holy Father has said that make me pull out my hair and want to yell at the top of my lungs, “YOU ARE NOT HELPING!”  This is my cry baby side because I don’t like to do extra work when I already have enough things on my plate. Yet, there are many good and perfectly orthodox things that the Holy Father has put out which are fantastic and need be applauded.

So what do both of these things have in common then?  They are both narratives, one propagated the other ignored, not even challenged.  The narrarator then?  The media, dissenting catholics and the forces of confusion, all play a role in how the Church and therefore Her earthly head the Pope are seen by the public. 

I bring this up because many Trads are perfectly happy going after Peter whenever he speaks foolishly and therefore such things find their way elsewhere and confusion ensues (perhaps justly, we deserve what we get) .  Yet when he speaks rightly we are too often silent.  Look even Paul VI said good things and wrote wonderful works that Trads both lay and clerical condemn as not Catholic enough. 

Michael Matt of the Remnant spoke on this very issue in his most recent Remnant Underground video which can be seen below.  Enjoy!

Might I Recommend Gold?

Russian lawmaker wants to outlaw U.S. dollar, calls it a Ponzi scheme

Now consider quantitative easing, one, two and three

Quess what your dollar is now worth and will be worth because of QE 1, 2, 3

source

Then consider the debt which the US owes

Consider how China is setting up side deals with other countries to ween themselves off the dependence of the dollar and how their generals are now, at the present moment developing plans for nuclear strikes on the US

I know our Lord tells us not to hoard things and I would not hoard Gold, but neither do I think its a bad thing to protect ones self and family from ruin when the dollar goes under.  Pray it doesnt happen

Church Teaching on Limbo

Up until about this morning I was of the understanding that Limbo was merely a midevil theological inquirie.  This video, I pray will help you to understand what the church teaches at its highest level on the subject.

Not that Limbo

Aquinas on Captains

source

I the HIGHEST aim of a 

captain were to preserve 

HIS ship, he would keep it in 

port forever. 



-St. Thomas Aquinas

The Nature of Love

www.hildebrandlegacy.org

It is not enough to stress that love is a value-response and thus is essentially different from all responses motivated by the merely subjectively satisfying. It has also to be stressed that love is grounded in a value so closely united with the person as such, that is, this individual and unique person taken as subject, stands before me as valuable, precious, lovable, and is full thematic for me. The value basis of love is such that it elevates and ennobles the person as person and completely excludes any possibility of looking upon the beloved person as a means for my happiness and delight.

-Dietrich von Hildebrand, The Nature of Love

+JMJ+

The Blade sharpens the Blade

Good Day!

While at work I had the following debate playing in the background.  I found myself constantly wishing to correct the foolishness that abounds within, but the more I thought of it the more I realized it was more about me wanting to correct the other because of my pride in my own knowledge and not really because I want the incorrect words changed for the sake of their souls.  Its a good talk


The Great Resurrection Debate: William Lane Craig vs. John Shelby Spong

Still learning humility

+Pray for Syria and Egypt+

+Pray for the Holy Souls+

+Pray for Peter+

A picture is worth a thousand words

h/t Huff Post Religion, St. Peters List

We would look rather stupid if we were the only ones here.

A common error

I know I am not the only one that has ever heard the saying:

“We would look rather stupid if we were the only ones here.”

While the saying might hold true in the free market where ideas are infinite and people worship at the thrown of the almighty dollar, it does not hold true for all things.  As you can guess I speak here of being Catholic and attending to the obligations presented there within.

Generally people will use this when something happens within the church that causes scandal or really challenges them on the way they are living or how they will be living in the future.  The person will cite the problem then say, “Don’t these so called “holy men” get it that if they keep this garbage up they will look really stupid if no one is here?”

Lets grant the possibility (lets call it a guarantee because really who are we kidding ourselves with CCD classes making macaroni crosses) that they are ignorant of the necessity of the priesthood and the indefectibility of Holy Mother Church.  Now you could say that they are speaking specifically about leaving one parish (or if you are uncomfortable with such pre-conciliar terms insert “Faith Community”) for another for whatever reason, but usually they are speaking about an outright leaving, commonly referred to as apostacy.

Let’s get one thing straight if someone is indifferent on the matter of being Catholic they need to receive a rebuke and be instructed on the matter way before something happens and they fall right into their own erroneious thoughts.

Even if it was just the priest by himself it would not matter.  This is because he is not dependent on You or I to offer the sacrifice of the Mass.  One of the biggest culprits of this matter is how after the council the altar was wrechovated or replaced so as to make mass facing the people the norm.  It because a people centered service and thus the perception that it's a show necessitating spectators.

Pope Benedict, while still a Cardinal spoke on this in his excellent book The Spirit of the liturgy, which I recommend to any lover of the sacred liturgy (hint all Catholics). 

So ask your priest where his focus is when celebrating the Mass, is it an offereing to the Father or to the people, or has he created a hybrid of the two?  Either way don’t let this foolish saying go unchallenged.

+JMJ+

+Pray for Peter+

+Pray for the Middle East+

God uses the lowly to proclaim his Kingship

I think it was a couple weeks ago that the US House stenographer took the liberties to approach the live microphone and go on a rant about the US constitution and the countries founding.

source

She mentioned that God couldn’t bless this country because the country from her founding rejected God and that her masonic leanings were also at fault for our current predicament.

A couple others took up this matter focusing on the masonic aspect or the apparent nuttiness but it seems like the purpose is forgone in the aftermath. 

Im specifically thinking how the lady later said it was done by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  It seems conceivable that it was so.  What if it was a warning akin to that of Jonah

to Nineveh?

All I know is that the evils that this nation allows and even promotes deserve divine retribution, and we can be sure such punishment with be swift and just.

The solution is simple Christ must reign both in our private lives and in our public ones as well.  They want peace but they reject the prince of peace?  What do they expect?

To that end I came across a fantastic video to close out the week with speaking of the Kingship of Christ.

Enjoy!

Click Here the video doesnt appear in blogger format

Trent the Pastoral

The heirarchy has many responsibilities, but its primary one is to see to it that souls are adequately shepherded back to heaven.  To this end the Council of Trent stated the following:

source

"Bishops and other Ordinaries should remember that they are shepherds and not slave drivers, and that they must so rule over their subjects as not a domineer over them but to love them as sons and brothers; they should endeavor by exhortation and admonition to deter them from wrong doing lest they be obliged to administer due punishment after faults have been committed. Yet if through human frailty their subjects do wrong they must observe the precept of the Apostles, and reprove, entreat, rebuke them in all patience and doctrine; for sympathy is often more effective for correction than severity, exhortation better than threats of punishment, kindness better than insistence on authority. If in view of the seriousness of a crime there be need of punishment, then they must combine authority with leniency, judgement with mercy, severity with moderation, to the end that discipline, so salutary and essential to public order, be maintained without asperity, and that those who have been punished may amend their ways, or, if they refuse to do so, that others may be deterred from wrongdoing by salutary example of their punishment."

just thought it was interesting when I came across this part of the council

2214 §2 (1917 Code)
Citation from I Am With you Always by Michael Davies